Skills & Competencies for Merchandise Planner

Merchandise Planner job profile

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JOB SUMMARY for Merchandise Planner

Plans and forecasts for future merchandise buys based on historical buys, reoccurring buys and current inventory levels.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES for Merchandise Planner

Responsible for reviewing stock to sales ratios, responding to changing sales trends, and ensuring plan sales, plan markups, and plan markdowns are achieved by departments. Plans and coordinates merchandise flow-through. Inputs and maintains data in various merchandising systems.

Merchandise Planner SALARY RANGE

BASE 50%
$78,573
TOTAL 50%
$82,262
Job Level
P02
Job Code
SM15000260
Education/Degree
Bachelor's Degree
Reports To
Supervisor or Manager

Merchandise Planner Skills and Competencies List

Proficiency Levels and Behavioural Indicators
Salary.com identifies five increasing levels of proficiency for each skill/competency. Some jobs require only a relatively low level of proficiency in each skill/competency, while other jobs will require a more advanced level of proficiency in the same skill/competency. These levels rate the degree of proficiency (skill level, expertise) we expect the incumbent to perform in the given skill/competency for the given job. Note that we intentionally do not associate timeframes or years of experience in performing the skill/competency because that can be misleading. Proficiency levels identify what the incumbent knows and can do rather than how long they have been doing it. Also, note that the proficiency levels are cumulative, e.g., a level 4 proficiency implies the ability to perform all the behaviors at the lower levels.
Check each Merchandise Planner skill and competencie below to view definitions.
INDUSTRY COMPETENCIES JOB FAMILY COMPETENCIES CORE COMPETENCIES
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6 hard skills or competencies (industry competencies) for Merchandise Planner

1 Industry Competency – Retail Industry
Proficiency Level -2
Skill definition-Applying comprehensive knowledge of retail principles, inventory management, pricing strategies, and consumer behavior to effectively manage and operate retail businesses.
Level 1 Behaviors
(General Familiarity)
Explains how omnichannel retail provides consistent and convenient shopping experience for customers.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Follows the established merchandising guidelines when organizing product displays and storage.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Conducts regular retail audits to optimize operations, improve performance, and uphold standards.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Guides and mentors the staff in visual merchandising best practices to maintain consistent and high-quality displays.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Develops and implements new retail business models to enhance the customer experience and foster brand loyalty.
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2 Industry Competency – Merchandising
Proficiency Level -2
Skill definition-Strategically planning, executing, and managing product merchandising, pricing, and promotions to increase customer engagement and maximize revenue.
Level 1 Behaviors
(General Familiarity)
Describes the standards and procedures for creating visually appealing product displays.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Contributes to merchandise stocking and restocking planning, following standard rules and procedures.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Makes necessary adjustments to product pricing and merchandising to maintain profit margins.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Guides and trains retail teams on merchandising techniques and visual presentation strategies.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Designs and executes merchandise allocation strategies across a wide variety of retail organization types.
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3 Merchandise Planner - Skill and Competency
Proficiency Level - 3
4 Skill and Competency - Merchandise Planner
Proficiency Level - 4
5 Competency for - Merchandise Planner
Proficiency Level - 5

3 general skills or competencies (Job family competencies) for Merchandise Planner

1 Job Family Competencies – Financial Planning
Proficiency Level -2
Skill definition-Allocating financial resources and developing business strategies.
Level 1 Behaviors
(General Familiarity)
Documents and maintains information used for the ongoing financial planning process.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Collects data necessary for the preparation of financial planning recommendations.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Partners with finance team counterparts to improve the effectiveness of the financial planning.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Creates financial scenario models for future business and financial planning decisions.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Champions continuous efforts to improve financial planning.
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2 Job Family Competencies – Promotion
Proficiency Level -2
Skill definition-Developing and implementing promotional activities to attract and increase the awareness of customers in buying products.
Level 1 Behaviors
(General Familiarity)
Describes the significance of brand image development to promotion efforts.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Documents information needed for promotional activities such as product details and features.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Generates reports that outline customers’ interest levels and questions asked at various events.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Leads market research studies and evaluates findings to understand customer and market opportunities.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Creates engaging promotions including deals to encourage target market purchases.
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3 Merchandise Planner - Skill and Competency
Proficiency Level - 3
4 Skill and Competency - Merchandise Planner
Proficiency Level - 4
5 Competency for - Merchandise Planner
Proficiency Level - 5

8 soft skills or competencies (core competencies) for Merchandise Planner

1 Core Competencies – Scheduling
Proficiency Level -2
Skill definition-Ability to plan and organize activities, tasks, and resources to achieve business goals and objectives within timeframe and budget.
Level 1 Behaviors
(General Familiarity)
Compiles a list of tools used to effectively schedule activities, such as Google Calendar and Canva.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Identifies and resolves scheduling conflicts between employees to ensure a smooth workflow.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Makes adjustments and recommendations for optimizing scheduling to maximize service and quality.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Coordinates with cross-functional teams to align work schedules with project activities.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Builds integrated database tracking tools for staffing shrinkage patterns to optimize staffing scheduling forecasts.
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2 Core Competencies – Key Performance Indicators (KPI)
Proficiency Level -2
Skill definition-Knowledge of and ability to apply a set of quantifiable measurements to determine how effectively an individual, team or organization is achieving a business objective.
Level 1 Behaviors
(General Familiarity)
Contrasts KPI with other performance management tools, such as Balanced Score Card (BSC) and Objectives and Key Results (OKR).
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Follows up on regular action items related to KPI implementation.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Consolidates internal and external information to define and select applicable KPI.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Designs and develops KPI metrics and dashboards for various functions and purposes.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Conducts lectures on KPI best practices at industry conferences.
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3 Merchandise Planner - Skill and Competency
Proficiency Level - 3
4 Skill and Competency - Merchandise Planner
Proficiency Level - 4
5 Competency for - Merchandise Planner
Proficiency Level - 5

Summary of Merchandise Planner skills and competencies

There are 6 hard skills for Merchandise Planner, Retail Industry, Merchandising, Category Management, etc.
3 general skills for Merchandise Planner, Financial Planning, Promotion, Inventory Control.
8 soft skills for Merchandise Planner, Scheduling, Key Performance Indicators (KPI), Attention to Detail, etc.
While the list totals 17 distinct skills, it's important to note that not all are required to be mastered to the same degree. Some skills may only need a basic understanding, whereas others demand a higher level of expertise.
For instance, as a Merchandise Planner, he or she needs to be proficient in Scheduling, be proficient in Key Performance Indicators (KPI), and be proficient in Attention to Detail.

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